I feel for you. I'm trying to pack up to move whenever, wherever DH finds a new job. I'm going through closets and cleaning, organizing, etc. I want it gone so I don't deal with the same messes in my next house. DH doesn't want to let much go. He's ok with stuff being gone only if it's the kid's stuff. I look at the ratty couches, tv stand, bedroom set as stuff to get rid of since we don't need them anyway. New Mexico is less prosperous than where we've lived previously. I KNOW someone could use it. I proposed a garage sale for July 8th. Not happening. I'm doomed to take these clutter catchers with me.

On the bright side, I did finally get dh to give twelve of his shirts away to a kid who starts college in the fall. The kid actually wears them too.

Sounds familiar. I thinks it's time you set up a staging area somewhere. I have a wicker basket I keep in my bedroom. Items which could go to someone are kept there. Even if I'm not sure what to do with them yet. I currently have a pair of out-grown Irish dance shoes from my dd. They are specialized shoes, so I don't want to just send them to the thrift store and no one in her dance class is the right size to move into them.

I currently have a couple of bags of items I need to return to the craft store. I hate returning things and have been known to wait so long, I just shove the stuff in the thrift store bag. If I put these items out of sight, I'll never remember to take them back.

Gloria

A new tenant moved into the buildng who told me she has no kitchen stuff. Instantly I could find old sets of knives, forks, etc. Extra glasses and cups, extra can openers, etc. She was happy with it. Actually as I looked at it, I thought how come I have so much extra and mismatched stuff? Like Quiltglo I find it a pleasure to give stuff to somebody else who can use it. I just need to find people who can use mismatched socks, and 200 lids to glass jars I no longer have.Also have several left shoes 9, and 10. (don't ask)

LOL!! I know what you mean. The problem with organizing is sometimes trying to figure out what to do with the stuff. ( or it migrates to other rooms) I finally told myself I do not want to sort through this stuff again and got it out of the house, I'm even getting to the point where I could care less about having a tag sale or making money off the items. Those items usually end up sitting in the attic and I find I don't really miss them. I use to have tag sales and make money but when you're busy with life I say just let it go. I had a box of socks I finally pitched - it felt great and no regrets. I say go for it!!!!!

sladybug I agree with you, tag sales sound great when Martha has them but she actually has stuff you might want to buy. Salvation Army actually refused to take the leftovers from my garage sale. When I calculated the time it took and the advertising, etc. my profit from the last sale was 27 cents. Which if invested would yield big bucks I'm sure. Has anyone ever regretted throwing old clothes away? or old anything?

The only old clothes I regret getting rid of were all the corduroys and jeans from the sixties and seventies. As soon as I finally got rid of them, they came back in style. I could have made a little bit of money if I had held onto them longer.

I can honestly say I don't miss or regret getting rid of a single thing. I figure in the past four years I have probably unloaded 50% of the non-furniture items in our home. Someone got a really good deal on crystal and silverplated wedding gifts, but I don't miss any of it. Not a single sale, yet I really did make money.

We use Itsdeductible (sp?) and I do track the items. Last year we had slightly over $5,000 in non-cash donations. Just using a generic 25% for taxes, that meant over $1,200 cash in my pocket because I didn't have to pay that in taxes. Way more than I could have made at a garage sale or two, not even considering the time, effort and storage it would have taken.

Gloria